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Bumps for Advanced Skiers
- Thread starter tball
- Start date
I'm pretty confident Eric could find his way down a zipper line. I also think it's ridiculous to define bump skiing by one tactic. It's as silly as saying that you suck at bumps if you can't throw inverted aerials in the mix. I'll always be a 'both' sort of guy in an epic-ly binary world. And you should know it's not really bump skiing when your heels are attached... fast forward to 1:40. Heel pieces are for people who can't handle bumps.
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Maybe this has been covered, but please, can someone (preferably Tball) give me a definition of zipper line skiing and be specific. I get it can mean ski a straight line down a mogul field. To me it means a lot more than that, basically absorbing impact with your knees and hips like the Olympic mogul skiers. I guess to me it means ski like the competition guys.
To me, a person can ski basically straight down a mogul field in a number of different ways. When younger, and on my game, I could turn off the tops of the mogul and catch air between them. Needed soft moguls and just the right speed, but when you get a rhythm its really fun, but a little rough on the joints. I have also seen skiers stay in the troughs and slide their tails fast enough to follow the contour of the moguls. I have never been able to do that, probably due to the 190ish cm skis I am on. These days I tend to carve short, quick turns up and down the moguls and keep my speed down and minimize impact. My frame of reference for all my comments is big, tightly spaced moguls on double black trails.
To me, a person can ski basically straight down a mogul field in a number of different ways. When younger, and on my game, I could turn off the tops of the mogul and catch air between them. Needed soft moguls and just the right speed, but when you get a rhythm its really fun, but a little rough on the joints. I have also seen skiers stay in the troughs and slide their tails fast enough to follow the contour of the moguls. I have never been able to do that, probably due to the 190ish cm skis I am on. These days I tend to carve short, quick turns up and down the moguls and keep my speed down and minimize impact. My frame of reference for all my comments is big, tightly spaced moguls on double black trails.
Well I stated pretty clearly that we could assume he does...do you have any video of it?
By the way, just because someone is not a very good "bump" skier doesn't mean they aren't a great skier in other ways.
One thing I hear many times is a discussion on bump skiing as if all bumps are made the same from some kind of muffin tin mold. Which leads to skiing them the same way. Bumps vary, a lot. What works for me in one set on one trail on one given day doesn't work on a different day. Bumps can be hard or soft, big or small, spaced or tight, and vary in radii. The troughs can be essentially on a level plane (like a muffin pan) , or as they age without snowfall the troughs can get carved down lower than the original plane leading to fuller, steeper faces. Tops can be fresh and fluffy with icy backs, or on good days the entire bump is soft surfaced. Thumpers taking the same line repeatedly will develop canyons on that track. Some moguls take on a shark tooth shape when turns are taken to the left and right, but never over. Some cliffs develop taller than you can extend. And in my real world of moguls, someone entering my fall line 2-3 turns ahead is a frequent enough occurrence. So for me, turn choice varies.
And then there's the zipper liner that really isn't turning at all. I often see a zipper-liner that has to stop after 20 moguls to brake. And of course some don't.
So in my book the better bump skier has versatility. I like to watch the highly skilled, but I also like to watch line variation. Zippering is just another style, I'm not sure it's the pinnacle. There is something to be said for being able to hold a line - but playing around as the mood strikes and the terrain undulates is just as skilled, perhaps more so.
Seen lots of those on Outer Limit over the years. Most emulate the form without fully understanding the function.
And you should know it's not really bump skiing when your heels are attached... fast forward to 1:40. Heel pieces are for people who can't handle bumps.
Love that video. One of my favorite.
Thanks for posting it.
Nope. Not at all. Zipper is one tactical approach. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Lots of variables as to when and why, including mood and what feels good.
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I don't know if I am excellent at bumps, but I used to ski them a lot. I can ski fall line and absorb the impact with my knees coming up into my chest, which is what I call zipper line. Do I do it all the time? No
I will usually zipper a run or two, and then I go to meander mode. Could be my age, but I prefer low impact bump skiing and going straight down the troughs induces speed and impact. I tend to stay in narrow column, but go up and down the bump faces at an angle. In smaller more widely spaced bumps I ski the "groomer".
I am in the camp of zipper is an advanced technique, but not the only one. It is so dependent on conditions and mogul features, can't really say which is the best.
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2017
- Posts
- 924
I see it as really good skiing that happens to be flowing over uneven terrain.
Here's some more mediocrity for your pleasure:
And this guy... Why isn't he going faster? He sucks.
... or just shut up, ski, and have fun.
I know you guys are done with this, but "stay in a narrow column" sure sounds like you are skiing the second definition of zipper line.
... or just shut up, ski, and have fun.
But... but... then what would we do around here? Talking and being miserable is what we’re all about!
Since we've jumped the shark and got zero air points I decided to share some of my old USSA comp video for MA..
I've seen this guy!!
I've seen this guy!!
I've been this guy!
Me too except I typically leave one of my skis at the first bump.